Having held our Morpeth Harriers Championships for Young Athletes recently, we are very conscious that we have not held any such race for our Senior , Veteran and Under 20s runners in 2022.
 
This is because historically we have always used our own Morpeth 10k as our own Championship race. With no such event this year we have therefore had to look elsewhere for a suitable race.
 
We have as a result decided to include our own Club Championships within the Heaton Harriers Memorial Races on Newcastle Town Moor on Sunday 13 November. This is a fast and well-organised local race close to home which has always proved popular with club members.
 
Awards will be made by the club this year to: the first three Senior Men, the first three Senior Women, the first three Veteran Men Over 40, the first three Veteran Women Over 40, the first three U/20 Men and the first three U/20 Women. Please note that there is a separate Under 17/20 race at 10.15 am run over 5k.
 
The link for entry to the event is here; there is also a postal option.
https://entry.eventsupnorth.co.uk/races/rqrgy
 
https://heatonharriers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HeatonMemorialEntryForm2022.pdf
 
Let’s hope for some fine weather and a big Morpeth turn-out on what is also of course Remembrance Sunday. 

​A quick reminder should you need it that the third round of the North East Harrier League takes place on the Lambton Estate, Durham on Saturday (not Sunday like Druridge).
 
Timings are the same as in previous races, ie U/11s first off at midday.
 
The course is more of a proper xc than the two previous fixtures as well as being pretty scenic, through woods and past the castle,  and we’ve also had a bit of rain, so there should be more of a challenge - as well as some footwear decisions to be made.
 
Please note there will be a charge again for parking on the private estate – so please, bring correct change and try and travel with others.
 
Note also that the league issued some stern warnings this week after a spate of problems at Druridge Bay. These related to issues such as: runners running from wrong pack (effectively cheating); runners using other’s numbers (crazy – if you need a number, you can get one on the day, even if you’ve lost your original); spitting on the course – remember, you can be carded for this now; and, worst of all, two youngsters fighting! Fortunately, none of these related to Morpeth athletes, but please can we avoid blotting our copybook this time out.
 
Directions to the course are here. Postcode is NE38 9JD for satnavs. Take A183 off A1 (junction 63) and follow signs for Lambton Castle .Use entrance off Bonemill Lane near Picktree, signposted Lambton Castle. There should also be some signposting of the event but please leave a good hour to get there from Morpeth, as you never know what traffic on ye Western Bypass will be like. 

Travelling to Scotland at the weekend was Rachelle Falloon, who was looking to build on her recent  victory in the Kielder 10k when taking part in the Edinburgh Women’s 10k race.
 
There were well over 1,000 finishers over the highly scenic city centre route that starts on the Royal Mile before taking runners past such sights as the Scottish National Gallery and Arthur’s Seat, through  Princes Street Gardens, past the Scottish Parliament building, through the Grassmarket and on to a grandstand finish in the Murrayfield Stadium.
 
In a leading group of three from the off that included also local runners Amanda Robertson and Natalie Wrangler, Rachelle was able to finally get ahead of the pair towards the end to win the race in an overall time of 37 minutes 24 seconds, a new personal best for the distance by over 10 seconds. Robertson was only 3 seconds behind in 2nd place and Wrangler 3rd in 37:32. The full results are available here.
 
Meanwhile in West Yorkshire there were three Harriers taking part in Sunday’s Abbey Dash 10k in Leeds city centre - which seems to have sneaked into the fixture calendar as an October race these days (some of us are old enough to remember it used to be towards the end of November).
 
With a reputation as one of the fastest courses in the country, the race remains hugely popular with nearly 4,000 entrants covering the out and back course from the Town Hall on the Headrow to Kirkstall Abbey, and 2019's problems of race measurement thankfully now behind it.
 
On a miserably wet morning, Sam Hancox had a tremendous run to come home in 17th place overall with a pb time of 30:17, having been up with the leading group for most of the way out to the Abbey.
 
Morpeth’s other two finishers were Finn Brodie, 27th in 30:37, and Richie Hughes, 216th in 35 minutes.
 
At the front end in  a close race, the winning time of 29:22 was recorded by North Belfast athlete Andrew Milligan, with Bristol and West’s Timothy Lefroy 2nd in 29:24 and Sheffield and Dearne’s Lewis Jagger 3rd in 29:28.  British international Jess Warner-Judd  was 1st female finisher in 32:18 ahead of Ethiopian Atsede Gidey (32:34) and Tonbridge’s Lucy Reid (32:35). The full results are available here.
 
Closer to home,  Dave Stabler was 5th overall and 2nd Over 45 in the Run Northumberland Castles Half Marathon, finishing in a time of 1 hour 20 minutes 37 seconds with the race won by Blyth’s Michael Stott in a time of 1:15:34 and York Knavesmire’s Rose Mather 1st woman home in 1:26:52. The full results are available here.

Having made the dates and venues for all the major fixtures over the next few months available recently, the club have been made aware of some significant changes to the venues.
 
As we’d hate people to turn up at the wrong place…please note the following alterations. (These are all down to difficulties at the original venues, unfortunately.)
 
NORTH EASTERN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
These will now take place at Temple Park, South Shields and NOT the Town Moor, but on the same weekend as originally advertised, Saturday December 10. The venue should need no introduction.
 
NORTHERN ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Originally advertised as being at Bolesworth Castle, near Chester, this venue will instead be used for the National XC. The Northern will instead be at Witton Park, Blackburn.
 
NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Originally scheduled for Harewood Estate, complications at the venue mean this will not now be used, a real shame for us in the North East. The new venue is at the venue above.

​All dates remain the same, however. 

Jane Hodgson and Judith Nutt travelled down to Markeaton Park, Derby at the weekend to take part in the North Midlands Cross Country League, with the event doubling as a selection trial for representative honours in the British and Irish Cross Country International to be held in Dublin in November.
 
With team selection in all five year age categories, both Jane and Judith had fine runs to hopefully guarantee their selection.
 
In fact Jane was actually 2nd overall in the Women’s 6k race, finishing in a time of 23 minutes 45 seconds, some 25 seconds behind race winner and fellow 0/40 Juliet Potter of Charnwood AC.
 
Meanwhile Judith was 16th in a time of 25:56 and 3rd 0/45.
 
Well-deserved congratulations to both.